Gamertell

Product: Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Price: $39.99
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Publisher (Developer): Square-Enix (Square-Enix with Think and Feel)
ESRB Rating: “E 10+” for Everyone 10 and over
Rating: 9/10
Pros: The cinematics and music are phenomenal. The battle system is smooth. The story breaks new ground without contradicting the original storyline. It is fun to play.
Cons: The graphics at times look more like a Game Boy Advance game than a DS title.
Overall: The first well executed and entertaining real-time strategic RPG on the DS. Final Fantasy fans who love tactical games will have fun with this.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings initially worried me. When Square-Enix announced that the game was going to be a real-time tactical RPG, my mind instantly thought of the train wreck that was Heroes of Mana. FFXII: Revenant Wings won me over with its charm, simple battle commands, competent troops and variety of activities. This game helped renew my faith in the Final Fantasy spin-offs. While the game might not appeal to all Final Fantasy fans due to the manner in which battles are handled, it is an engaging and enjoyable adventure that RPG fans shouldn’t overlook.

FFXII: Revenant Wings picks up a year after everything that happened in FFXII. The story begins with rookie sky pirates Vaan and Penelo working with veteran pirates Balthier and Fran to acquire a treasure. Unfortunately, right after they get their hands on the goods, the ruins they are in collapse and Vaan and Penelo’s vessel is destroyed. They are forced to return to Rabanastre to resume their normal lives. That doesn’t last long though, as a new ship is abandoned near the city, and Vaan, Penelo, Kytes, Filo and Tomaj take it and end up heading to the floating continent of Lemurés. After saving and making friends with Llyud, a member of the Aegyl indigenous to the continent, they vow to help the aegyls defend their home from sky pirates set to plunder it.

The battle system in FFXII: Revenant Wings just might be the proof needed to show that handheld systems can handle real-time tactical games. It is simple, but at times complex. Most battles allow five leaders in play and each is a specialized kind of unit. For example Vaan is a melee unit, Kytes is a ranged unit and Llyud is an airborne unit. There is a paper-scissors-rock relationship among the three, where melee beats ranged, ranged smacks down airborne, and airborne decimates melee. Each leader has esper troops, which follow their lead. Players can select one leader or all troops to get things done in battle.

There is also quite a bit of replay value. There are plenty of story missions available, not to mention the supplemental missions Tomaj provides each chapter. There are also tons of custom weapons that can be created, summons to earn, and an additional dungeon to explore. Plus if you replay the game a second time, the ending changes.

The only unimpressive area was the graphics. Sure, the cinematic sequences looked gorgeous. I’d have liked to seen more of them. The regular graphics seem lackluster though. They look like they are taken from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and I think a DS game deserves better than that. A $40 title should be giving a little bit more.

Overall though, this is a great game. It is not only fun, but the battles gradually increase in difficulty and really force you to think ahead and work for your victories. Even though the price tag is high, it is worth every penny. 

Site [Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings] Product Page [GameStop]

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